Free Web NovelThe main competition of the Martial Arts Tournament is not held within the Academy, but rather in a large stadium rented outside the campus so that it can be conducted publicly.
This means that not only students and professors belonging to Valhalla Academy can attend naturally, but outsiders can also watch the Martial Arts Tournament if they purchase a ticket.
The tournament is held from Monday to Friday, a total of five days.
The Round of 32 takes place over two days, Monday and Tuesday; the Round of 16 is held on Wednesday; and the quarterfinals and semifinals are on Thursday.
Then, on Friday, the 3rd Place Match and the Finals take place.
'What matters right now isn't the tournament schedule or anything like that, but the bracket.'
The place where I was currently sitting was the Participant Area, consisting of the seats closest to the stage.
Because of that, the bracket displayed on the Ether electronic board set up beside the stage was clearly visible.
Since the matches for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years were scheduled to proceed in order today, the bracket currently visible was for the 1st years.
'Hmm... Looking at it again, I think I'm screwed.'
I couldn't help but come to that conclusion.
And I wasn't the only one who was screwed.
"If it goes according to this bracket, Karvaldr will meet me in Round 2, right?"
As you can tell from the tone, the speaker was Reisir.
In other words, even if I won my first match in the main tournament, it was already predetermined that I would be defeated in the very next round.
It instantly killed my motivation.
'For now, simply reaching Round 2 would mean I've achieved my goal of advancing to the Round of 16, but...'
The difference between being able to hold onto even a sliver of hope and having none at all is huge.
Moreover, I couldn't even fight properly during the preliminary round, and it's obvious I'll lose to Reisir in Round 2.
In the end, I will only fight a stranger exactly once in this tournament, in Round 1 of the main competition.
That much has effectively been decided.
'Since I ended up participating in the tournament anyway, I wanted to gain a variety of experience...'
Still, the use of Ether for offensive purposes is permitted in the Martial Arts Tournament.
Even if the opponent is familiar, wouldn't it feel quite different from our usual sparring?
Besides, since Reisir would likely use this opportunity to instruct me, thinking positively, it might actually be a good thing.
The moment my thoughts reached that point,
I realized I had been taking my interactions with the original protagonist too much for granted.
As I was feeling bewildered by this belated realization, Reisir informed me that my interpretation of his character was accurate.
"Karvaldr, you have to win Round 1. Okay?"
"That is none of your concern."
"With a bracket like this, how can it not be my concern?"
"...Hmph."
Since I had no words to refute him, I once again used the conversation-ending technique made possible by my tsundere setting.
As soon as our conversation ended, Ríolíkin quickly spoke up.
"I-I and Older Sister Vigdís also, u-um, w-well, shouldn't m-meet in Round 2...?"
"Right. How did the bracket end up like this?"
I mentioned earlier that I wasn't the only one whose bracket luck was terrible, but if we were to compare just how bad it was, these two had it far worse.
The fact that the aspiring Karvaldr confidant I met during the preliminary round was Ríolíkin's Round 1 opponent wasn't even worth calling a problem.
Because Vigdís's first-round opponent in the main tournament was a character destined to become the runner-up.
'Vigdís will be eliminated in Round 1. Ríolíkin might somehow make it through Round 1, but he'll definitely lose in Round 2...'
Ríolíkin achieved three victories in the preliminary round, but since two of those were wins by forfeit, he had effectively only defeated a single opponent.
In that sense, the person most screwed among us was probably Ríolíkin.
While Vigdís wouldn't lose her Karvaldr usage rights even if she was eliminated in Round 1, Ríolíkin was in a position where those rights would be revoked the moment he lost in Round 2.
"A-As you know, I-I still have to d-defeat two more people in the f-future..."
"You don't need to worry."
"T-Then...!"
"Yes. Since I won't resent you even if I lose, if we happen to meet in Round 2, let's not hold back and do our best against each other!"
"......"
Ríolíkin had probably brought it up because he wanted her to go easy on him if they met in Round 2. freёwebnovel.com
However, remembering Ríolíkin's matches in the preliminary round, Vigdís seemed to interpret it as him declaring that he wouldn't go easy on her.
Vigdís wasn't going to make it to Round 2 anyway, so match-fixing couldn't even become an issue.
But there was no way the current Ríolíkin could know that future.
He looked at Vigdís with a gaze full of resentment, while Vigdís appeared confused, unable to understand why.
"Let's talk about that after we get through Round 1 first."
Reisir, the very person who had started the conversation by bringing up Round 2, shamelessly said that.
The thought that it was the pot calling the kettle black crossed my mind, but I didn't bother voicing it.
Not only did I have no desire to nitpick the original protagonist's words, but he wasn't finished speaking yet.
"Ríolíkin. Your first opponent is that kid who said he'd make it all the way to the finals for Karvaldr and asked to be accepted as a subordinate, right?"
"Gasp...! N-Now that you mention it... t-the name on the b-bracket did seem f-familiar."
"If you lose in Round 1, the position you're in right now will end up belonging to that jerk."
No, it won't.
Even if that extra defeats Ríolíkin, he'll run into the expected runner-up in the very next round and get eliminated anyway.
Even while raising that objection internally, I listened quietly without showing any reaction.
According to the original setting, the expected runner-up is currently enjoying playing the role of a hidden master.
Despite having trained with the sword for a long time, he hasn't taken a single swordsmanship lecture yet.
His intention is to surprise everyone by revealing his skills with a dramatic "Ta-da!" during the Martial Arts Tournament.
However, it's not as if I can pretend to know about his abilities.
'Besides, Reisir is probably deliberately provoking Ríolíkin's seriousness and fighting spirit to draw out his true abilities.'
Knowing that clearly, I couldn't interfere.
Although Ríolíkin fulfilling the conditions I gave him has become a distant prospect,
if he defeats his Round 1 opponent, he'll at least gain a little self-confidence.
Others won't be able to mock him as a coward anymore, either.
'Whether I keep Ríolíkin by my side after that or not... I'll think about it later. There's no guarantee he'll even win Round 1 in the first place.'
The same was true for me.
Advancing to Round 2 was far from guaranteed.
The possibility that some dead weight had somehow survived into the main tournament and that such a person happened to be my Round 1 opponent was extremely slim.
Just as I was trying to forget for a moment that I was scheduled to face Reisir next round—
—Pop, pop-pop! Pop, pop!
The sound of firecrackers exploding rang out loudly.
It seemed the tournament was about to begin.
'When I read it in the novel, I wondered whether anyone would even be able to see fireworks in the morning... But since it's winter, the sky stays dim until around this time, so they're more visible than I expected.'
Perhaps because it was the first time she had ever seen fireworks, Yor seemed to find them quite beautiful, letting out excited nyang nyang sounds.
If left alone, she looked ready to fly straight into them.
So I held Yor tightly in my arms.
'But isn't it only natural to find a lovable creature cute when it comes into your arms?'
I have both the right and the duty to seek healing by thoroughly petting the baby dragon.
Keeping my face expressionless to avoid character collapse, I faithfully carried out my duties as the owner of a familiar and a Healing Story Author.
As I did so, the voice of the professional host, who had apparently been invited from outside, came through the Ether speakers and echoed throughout the stadium.
"You all waited a long time, didn't you? So did I! At last, the time for the tournament to begin has come, so let's all celebrate together! Hahahaha!!"
I could tell from that one sentence alone that he had excellent social skills.
After drawing laughter from the audience, the host
explained the tournament schedule, points to be careful about while watching, how to order food, the locations of the restrooms, and so on.
"Now~! Then let's really begin! The students who will decorate the opening act of this festival that so many people are paying attention to are~!"
If too many extra characters start appearing, it only wastes the readers' brain capacity.
I'll simply omit the host's next lines, along with the fierce exchanges between the extras.
Still, since I feel I should leave behind at least some impressions regarding the main tournament matches—
"The atmosphere itself is completely different from the preliminary round. Everyone is properly using Ether abilities while fighting with their weapons... They're all so skilled that I've lost confidence..."
"A-As expected, I s-should have d-defeated three people in the p-prelims... W-Why did two of them have to w-withdraw...! S-Surely they were j-jealous of me being by Lord Karvaldr's s-side. Yes, t-that must be it...! B-Bad children...!"
—I will leave Vigdís's and Ríolíkin's comments here.
Ignoring Ríolíkin's forced reasoning, as Vigdís's words alone made clear, the dead weight had definitely been filtered out during the preliminary round.
The remaining students all seemed to have not only hired private tutors before entering the academy but also accumulated experience through repeated sparring.
'Indeed, even Reisir improved his skills by sparring with the knights of Helga's family.'
How much more would that be true for children raised in even better environments?
To make matters worse, among this possessed body's Ether abilities, there wasn't a single skill capable of direct offense.
'Is my only chance of winning really to catch them off guard by exploiting the unfamiliarity of a weapon like the whip?'
As I observed the abilities of the students who had advanced to the main tournament, I felt grateful for the first time that this body's primary weapon was a whip.
If it had been a common weapon like a sword, I wouldn't even have been able to calculate possibilities like this.
'I already lack experience and skill, so if my opponent sees through the characteristics of my weapon, won't I have no ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) choice but to lose? Is there any other way?'
It's not for nothing that even Vigdís, who boasts absurd potential, struggled in the preliminary round.
Perhaps even if she hadn't encountered the expected runner-up, she still wouldn't have made it past Round 1.
Among all the students who had stepped onto the arena so far, not a single one appeared inferior to her in either experience or skill.
The reason Vigdís said she lacked confidence might be because she had already sensed her impending defeat.
"Wow~! Even though they're still first-years, everyone's skills are incredible!! As expected of Valhalla Academy! The students' level is exceptionally high!!"
The affable host continued pouring out compliments into the Ether microphone.
I guarantee he says something similar whenever he's invited to tournaments at other academies.
Otherwise, they wouldn't invite him back next time.
"I'm really looking forward to the next match as well!!"
From the moment the host started speaking again, some people had probably already guessed.
That it was finally one of our turns.
"U-Um... T-Then I'll be back...!"
With a grim expression, Ríolíkin took off his coat and rose from his seat.
